


Friend of a Friend is a Friend

by SingingInTheRaiin



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, Happy Ending, River and Rose are bffs, Rose Tyler Loves the Doctor, Rose and the Doctor end up together, The Doctor Loves Rose Tyler, time travel stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:07:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25451386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SingingInTheRaiin/pseuds/SingingInTheRaiin
Summary: In the wise words of one Mickey Smith, every man’s worst nightmare was his ex and his missus getting to meet each other. The problem in this particular case, though, was that the Doctor wasn’t all too sure which one was which. Or no, maybe the biggest problem was the fact that they seemed to be getting along perfectly well.
Relationships: Eleventh Doctor/Rose Tyler, River Song & Rose Tyler, The Doctor (Doctor Who)/Rose Tyler, Thirteenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Comments: 10
Kudos: 146





	Friend of a Friend is a Friend

In the wise(?) words of one Mickey Smith, every man’s worst nightmare was his ex and his missus getting to meet each other. The problem in this particular case, though, was that the Doctor wasn’t all too sure which one was which. Or no, maybe the biggest problem was the fact that they seemed to be getting along perfectly well. Of course he didn’t want them to fight, but would it hurt for them to be even the littlest bit jealous of each other? Shouldn’t they both want to be the one woman who meant the most to him?

But no, he knew that that wouldn’t happen. Both of them were much wiser than their ages suggested, and had been through a great deal, both by the Doctor’s side and on their own. Both of them were smart enough to understand that anyone who lived for as long as the Doctor had would never be able to say that any one person was the most important, and he loved them both for knowing that. 

Although it was strange to think of just how young Rose really was. He didn’t even know if she’d already met and had her petty catfights with Sarah Jane, though she had certainly acted mature enough with River to make it seem like she already had experience with meeting other companions. And then there was River, who had been forced to grow up too fast her entire life, all because of the Doctor. No matter how old they were, though, neither of them were children. 

Still, that didn’t mean that they had to stand around talking and laughing and treating each other like old buddies, did it? He was so busy lost in his own thoughts that he only caught the tail-end of whatever River had just said. “-don’t even have bananas anymore?”

The mention of bananas certainly got the Doctor’s attention. “Who doesn’t have any bananas anymore?” The question made both women burst into giggles, and it really did remind him of that time with Rose and Sarah Jane all over again. Once they’d gotten past their pettiness, they’d bonded over gossiping about him. 

The Doctor frowned, annoyed, and Rose took pity on him. “We were just talking about the Weapon Factory of Villengard.”

It took a moment for the Doctor to remember why that sounded familiar, and then he smiled smugly. “Ah yes, I remember the time I…” then he trailed off as he recalled what River had just asked. “They don’t have the banana grove there anymore?”

Rose laughed. “Well, considering that this is 2076, they don’t even have a weapons factory there yet.”

“You know what I mean,” the Doctor said while definitely not pouting.

River reached out to loop her arm with one of the Doctor’s. “If you’d been paying better attention, you’d know that Rose said there was a fire there that destroyed all the banana groves.”

There was that familiar, beautiful tongue-touched grin on Rose’s face. “Yup. A completely, one-hundred percent accidental fire.”

The Doctor opened his mouth to ask, but then heaved out a big sigh as his shoulders slumped down. He probably didn’t want to actually know what had happened. The resignation on his face seemed to be enough to send the women into another fit of giggles. He almost commented on the fact that he’d never heard River laugh so much before, but then decided against it, in case it made her too self-conscious to continue. 

When he still didn’t say anything after several long seconds, Rose seemed to take that as a sign that he wasn’t going to add anything to the conversation, and she looked over at River again as she looped her arm through the Doctor’s other one. As the women chatted, they had to lean across the Doctor, but he found that he didn’t mind. Just being able to watch them interact so happily was enough for him. 

Then Rose asked something that the Doctor (stupidly) hadn’t planned for. “So when am I going to get the chance to meet your parents? I’ve heard so much about them, and they sound like fascinating people.”

“Oh, like you wouldn’t believe,” River agreed. Then she looked up at the Doctor’s face for a moment before shaking her head. “But I’m not so sure that that’s a good idea. Things are the way that they are for a reason, and we shouldn’t interfere too much in fixed events. And we definitely shouldn’t cross the Doctor’s timeline if we can help it. No need to go looking for trouble when it already has an easy enough time finding us.”

Rose tilted her head to the side. “Did he ever tell you about the time that I nearly got the entire universe destroyed because I saved my father’s life and then touched the baby version of myself?”

River’s eyes widened in interest. “No, I’ve never heard that one. Though to be fair, I’ve heard hardly any stories about you.”

That put a look of hurt on Rose’s face that made the Doctor’s hearts ache, because he knew that he was the one responsible for that expression being there. “Doctor, you promised-” Well, at least now he knew that this was definitely after Sarah Jane, but he suddenly didn’t care much about figuring out where Rose was in her timeline. He couldn’t bear to see that look in Rose’s eyes, and he looked around for an easy distraction. 

“Ah, wonderful, look, it’s the ice-cream shop!” He disentangled himself from both of his companions, then rushed forward and into the building he’d nodded towards without even bothering to look in through the windows first. A simple glass door wasn’t enough to stop his superior Time Lord hearing from picking up on the exasperated sighs that River and Rose both let out. It really was no fair that they were able to team up like this.

“Don’t smudge your nose up on the glass like that, it’s rude.”

The Doctor rolled his eyes. “But then how am I supposed to see what flavors they have? I’m disappointed in you, Rose Tyler.” It was a lie, of course. Just being able to spend time with her right now was the best thing he could have ever imagined. Though he already dreaded how quickly this time together was sure to be over, and then his memories of his first time here with Rose would probably unlock. Something big must’ve happened, because he couldn’t remember a single bit of being here on this planet at all, let alone the fact that Rose had wandered off to spend time with a different version of himself for the better part of the day. As he glanced at her, he was half-tempted to just snatch her up and pull her into the TARDIS to take off before she could ever make it to Canary Wharf. It was only memories of Bowie Base One that stopped him from making any such move. He would just have to be grateful for the time that he had, and for the fact that he actually got to see Rose with this set of eyes, something that he would have never thought possible. 

Seemingly unaware of the turmoil going on the Doctor’s mind, Rose nudged him with her shoulder. “Oi, you shouldn’t be insulting me when I just know that I’m gonna be the one paying for this. ‘S what I get for going out anywhere with a cheapskate like you.”

The Doctor snorted, and then thought back to their first ‘date’. Chips on Earth. It had been a nice moment, but the Doctor hadn’t savored it nearly as much as he should have. At the time, he’d had no idea how important Rose would come to be to him. And he’d had no idea that he would lose her so soon.

But he tried not to linger on the past, and he didn’t want to do anything to give away Rose’s future to her. For now she’d accepted the excuse that she was on Earth at the moment, and he didn’t want to give her any reason to doubt that. As tempting as it was, he knew that he couldn’t tell her about what her future held.

After the Doctor and Rose had both gotten their ice-cream (A scoop each of dill pickle, storm cloud, rocky road, corn, and a neon green flavor called tenszin bean all balanced precariously in a big cone for the Doctor, and two scoops of a bright red flavor that supposedly tasted like spicy curry in a little bowl for Rose), they all retreated to one of the tables just outside the shop, where they settled in comfortably under the shade of the umbrella above them. “You sure you don’t want any?” Rose asked River.

River shook her head. “I’m all set. Not really big on ice-cream.” She waited patiently for Rose and the Doctor to each consume some of their treats (and to each steal small spoonfuls and licks of each other’s) before she cleared her throat. “So, Rose, where’s your Doctor right now, anyways? With all his rules about not wandering off, I’d have thought he’d notice you disappearing for so long.”

And he’d probably tear the planet apart if he thought that something bad had happened to her, the Doctor privately thought to himself. But he didn’t say that out loud. He had no idea what point Rose was at in her relationship with him. All he knew was that she had easily accepted that he had a new face, which implied that this was at some point after their second trip to the Game Station. “Yes, where is he?” the Doctor echoed. 

River raised one eyebrow as she glanced at him. “You still don’t know?”

The Doctor shrugged. “When I lock my memories, it’s generally for a good reason. The most common one being that I interacted with an older version of myself. If that is the case here, then I doubt I’ll remember it until it’s actually happening.”

River shrugged, then turned back to Rose. “Well?”

Rose bit her lip as she thought for a few moments before responding. “It’s actually kinda… um, private.”

The Doctor nearly dropped what little was left of his ice-cream, and he stared at Rose with both eyebrows raised. “Rose, just because I can’t remember right this second doesn’t mean I won’t remember it all. So whatever it is, I technically already know, so-”

Rose shook her head. “Ah, it’s actually meant to be a bit of a surprise. I asked you to take me here. And if you’re going to figure it out soon enough anyways, then I’m not going to ruin the surprise.” She refused to say anything else about the Doctor she was traveling with, or her purpose in coming to this specific planet, and the Doctor decided that it was best not to push the issue. Whatever was going on, he’d remember it for himself soon enough. Even now, though, he racked his brain for any memory of a surprise from Rose that would have required a special trip to this place, but he couldn’t think of anything. 

Once the ice-cream had all been eaten (with the Doctor sneakily scooping up the remainder of Rose’s, and then regretting when he realized just how spicy it was. He’d been fooled by that fact that Rose’s face hadn’t gotten even the slightest bit red while eating it), they got up and went back to strolling around. It was a nice day, and it would be a shame to waste it all sitting around.

The Doctor continued to watch on fondly as River and Rose chatted with each other about anything and everything, a lot of it being about him and trips with him, but also about other things. Occasionally, Rose would reference some adventure, like earlier with the banana groves, that the Doctor couldn’t even remember, and he silently berated himself for managing to forget even a single second of his precious time with Rose. 

Eventually, though, it started to get darker out, and the Doctor knew that their time together was coming to a close. He didn’t want to let Rose go. It was for that exact reason that he’d only gone back to see her a couple of times, to try and avoid doing anything too stupid.

From the way Rose dragged her feet, it seemed clear that she didn’t want to go either. Maybe she’d sensed that the Doctor had lied about her current whereabouts, or maybe- though this seemed less likely- she liked this face of his so much that she didn’t want to go back to the old one. “Doctor-”

“At least let me walk you back,” he interrupted. He knew that he sounded somewhat desperate and pleading, and he knew that Rose was smart enough to pick up on that.

But she was also kind enough to not comment on it, and after just a brief moment of hesitation, she nodded. “Alright, then. I will admit that I’m enjoying this more gentlemanly side to you.” 

It was a disappointingly short walk before they came upon the TARDIS, but not the one that the Doctor had parked. In fact it didn’t look nearly as familiar as it should have. A bit more dull and beaten up than he’d remembered her looking back then. 

During his moment of distraction, River walked up to Rose and reached out to gently take both of her hands. “It was so lovely to meet you.” Then she had the audacity to wink, and the Doctor had absolutely no idea what that was supposed to mean. “I’ll give you two some privacy to say some goodbyes.” She wandered off a little ways.

The Doctor let out a soft chuckle. “So it’s just a girl, an alien, and a police box, huh?” Then his light demeanor fell away. “Rose, where you’re headed-”

Before he could say anything that he’d regret, the door of the TARDIS popped open and a blonde woman poked her head out. “Rose, I’m so glad you’re back, the rotator mechanism is making that funny noise again and you’re always the best at fixing…” she trailed off as she finally noticed that the Doctor was standing there too. “Oh. Should I, uh…” She gave the Doctor a big grin and a thumbs up. “Ah, I just remembered. Well, have fun with that!” then she disappeared back into the TARDIS with a light laugh.

When the Doctor looked at Rose in confusion, he saw that she seemed to be just barely holding in her laughter, but then she finally let it out, and it was such a beautiful noise. “I’m sorry, Doctor, I’m not laughing at you, ‘s just that all day I’ve been trying so hard not to let anything slip, but now apparently it doesn’t matter anyways, because you’re just gonna have to make yourself forget.”

The Doctor frowned, and it took a moment for that to sink in. Then his eyes widened dramatically as he nodded towards the TARDIS. “That’s-?”

Rose nodded. “Yup. And since you won’t remember this, I may as well let you in on the secret.” She pulled a little box out of her pocket and flipped it open, revealing a sturdy looking ring made of a metal the Doctor had never seen before, with an inscription across it in circular Gallifreyan. Rose snapped the box shut again before the Doctor could look closer and actually read it, but he could at least put the pieces together well enough to figure out what a surprise ring might mean. “But-? How-?”

Rose reached up and gently placed her hand flat against his chest, right in between his two hearts. “You’ll find it all out for yourself someday, I promise.”

He had no idea how it was possible, but apparently someday he’d actually see Rose again, and they’d travel together, and she’d buy a ring (and he’d be a woman, but that was hardly notable at all compared to the other things he’d just learned). “When? How much longer until I see you again, for real?”

It was, surprisingly enough, actually River’s voice that cut in, meaning that she hadn’t gone all that far away afterall. “Spoilers, sweetie, you know that she can’t tell you.”

Rose laughed, and then moved away from the Doctor so that she could pull River into a proper hug. “Oh, I’m so glad that he accidentally found out, because it means that I can do this.”

The Doctor’s eyes widened further, which didn’t even seem like it should be possible. “What- River? You two know each other? But how?” Now that he thought about it, most of their chatter throughout the day had been more about sharing stories and general catching-up type things, and hardly any questions meant to actually learn about each other. Which made sense if they already knew all that stuff. The way that River and Rose both grinned at him bordered on unfair. “You can’t just team up on me like this.” But truthfully, he was overjoyed by the thought of a future that had both of them in it, getting along like old friends. 

Rose gave him one last hug, then stood up on her tiptoes so she could press a kiss to his cheek. The Doctor’s arms automatically wrapped tightly around her, and he went in for a proper kiss, which was eagerly returned. That was probably what his older self had given him the thumbs up for. 

They didn’t break apart until River cleared her throat pointedly. “You’ll see her again, Doctor,” she said in a gentle voice. “But for now, she has to go.”

It was hard letting go of her, watching her vanish into that slightly unfamiliar TARDIS, presumably into the arms of that blonde version of himself, but knowing that he’d be the one on the other side of those doors someday gave him the strength to walk away. That, and the way that River threaded her fingers through his, silently supporting him as the TARDIS left without the usual groaning and wheezing. “That’s different,” he murmured.

“You can thank Rose for that. And you will, many times. Just not right now. Come on, Doctor. You look like you could use some more ice-cream.” It took a few minutes before he was actually ready to wander away from that street corner, though. He just hoped that whatever happened to reunite them would happen soon, because for now, he would have to forget all about it.

,,,

The Doctor looked at her wife curiously. “So what was the big surprise? Does it have anything to do with…?”

Rose shook her head. “Believe me, I was just as surprised to see him there as you. It really is so different to see one of your faces in person rather than in photos.”

“But you don’t like it better than my current one, right?”

Rose laughed. “I love _you_ , Doctor, no matter what you look like. And as for that surprise, well, I know you’ve waited a couple hundred years for this, so- ta da!” She pulled out the same little box she’d just pulled out a few minutes ago, and could see that the Doctor had already remembered it and its contents. “I know we’re already married, but I just thought that it would make sense for your new hand to have a ring that suits it better. You shouldn’t get rid of the old one, though.”

“I would never,” the Doctor swore. She took the ring out of the velvet it was nestled in, and slipped it onto her bare finger (since her old ring had been too big and was always sliding off, it had been transferred to a chain around her neck instead). She looked carefully at the words written on the metal, which made promises of everlasting love. Then she pulled Rose into a tight hug. “Oh, Rose Tyler, you are brilliant.”

The soft moment was interrupted by River’s voice. “Hey, are you going to fix the rotator mechanism or what?”

Rose and the Doctor both laughed, and River looked at them in confusion. Then the Doctor held up her hand to show off her new ring, and River immediately understood where Rose had just been. She grinned, and let herself be pulled into a hug with both of the blondes. She couldn’t imagine having two better friends. 


End file.
